I have decided that I will use this blog to help all of humanity; and by that I mean I am documenting my mishaps and using this for travel tips. You can all learn from my mistakes.

Travel:

            Never in my life have I made it through the airport without being stopped. Weather it was accidently leaving scissors in my bag, or a “random” security check, I always get stopped.

This time, it was my suitcase.

TRAVEL TIP: Know the weight limit for your airline. There is a certain weight the bag cannot be above before you have to pay an additional fee. There is also a limit to how heavy your bag can be period, even with the fee; then you actually have to remove things from the bag.

My suitcase was over that limit. My bag closed just fine, (no getting siblings to lie on it so that you can zip it, that doesn’t count) it shut all by itself, still it was a large bag and I had to unpack and remove items before checking it. This resulted in 5 extra pounds of weight in my backpack and purse, an overstuffed carryon, and lots of funny pictures being sent to family members…

Clare got stopped AGAIN! Look!(…see above picture.)

Also, this over stuffed carryon lead to suspicious looks from security, and lots of back pain after 30 min.After all was said and done, my belt set the metal detector off. One more for good measure right?

Joking Travel Tips for Packing:

-Avoid packing heavy essentials such as shampoo and soaps.

-Avoid packing heavy shoes.

-Find the biggest bag you can and pack that, its less to carry! (Fact: the cost for extra weight is the same as the cost for an extra bag. Tip: just bring 2 bags.)

-If the bag will not shut, get a friend or sibling to sit and or lye on it while you zip.

If this goes not work, find a heavier friend.

-If you are a boy, pack your pockets in addition to your carry-on, be sure to wear a belt!

If your carry-on looks like mine, that is BAD, it most likely wont fit. If your carry-on looks like Lawrence’s (geo-blogger in Florence, and roommate at PSU) they you are GOOD!

Location: Rome, Italy